Card Player Poker Tour Venetian Main Event: James Anderson Leads Final 27 Players
Feb 21, '21
A total of 652 entries were made in the 2021 Card Player Poker Tour Venetian $2,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event, nearly tripling the tournament’s $500,000 guarantee to create a final prize pool of $1,467,000. After two starting flights and day 2, that field has been narrowed down to just 27 players remaining with a shot at the title and the top prize of $315,396.
Day 2 of the event began with 196 players remaining from the 559 entries made across the two starting flights. An additional 93 entries were made during the early levels of day 2 before registration officially closed at the start of level 15.
The huge turnout for this event resulted in the top 72 finishers making the money. Plenty of big names fell short of cashing in this event, hitting the rail in the first half of day 2 action, including former CPPT Venetian champion, three-time World Poker Tour winner, and two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Anthony Zinno, Ben Palmer, Marle Cordeiro, bracelet winner Jeremy Ausmus, WPT champion Lee Markholt, Matt Stout, bracelet winner Ryan Laplante, 2013 WSOP main event champion Ryan Riess, two-time WPT champion James Carroll and bracelet winner Jack Duong.
The money bubble officially burst when TK Miles cracked the pockets queens of an opponent with A-J. With that, the remaining 72 players all ensured themselves at least a $5,135 payday in this event. The final few levels of the night saw a flurry of bustouts, with plenty of highly accomplished players hitting the rail as the field was narrowed down to just 27 players. Notables who were eliminated after making the money include 2020 WSOP $10,000 main event ‘Domestic Tournament’ champion Joseph Hebert (69th – $5,135), bracelet winner Erik Cajelais (64th – $5,575), Shannon Shorr (55th – $6,015), start-of-day chip leader Ali Imsirovic (48th – $6,748), bracelet winner Joseph Cheong (42nd – $6,748), Tim Reilly (36th – $8,069), and Mid-States Poker Tour Venetian champion Korey Payne (33rd – $8,069).
When the dust settled, WSOP bracelet winner James Anderson held the chip lead among the final 27. The 2019 Little One For One Drop event champion bagged up a massive stack of 3,256,000, having added to his already sizable stack during the final few hands of the night by winning a massive preflop race with pocket queens against the A-K of 32nd-place finisher Manuel Labandeira.
Other big stacks include Anselmo Villarreal (1,643,000), Timothy Capretta (1,374,000), WPT champion Alex Foxen (1,338,000), and three-time WSOP bracelet winner Kristen Bicknell (1,317,000). Foxen and Bicknell, who are a couple, finished in first and second place in a $5,000 buy-in MSPT event here at the Venetian, earning $239,000 and $200,000 respectively. They have a shot at sharing yet another final table at this venue and adding considerably to their combined tournament earnings of more than $23 million.
Other notables still in contention include TK Miles (1,154,000), WSOP Circuit Season Finale Online main event winner Frank Marasco (1,094,000), WPT champion Jordan Cristos (1,055,000), Stanley Lee (812,000), 2013 CPPT Venetian runner-up Alex Condon (798,000), Scott Stewart (770,000), and WPT Championship winner Asher Conniff (552,000).
The final 27 will return for day 3 at noon local time on Monday, Feb. 22. Play will continue until a champion is decided.
Here is a look at the chip counts and seat assignments heading into the final day:
| Rank |
Player |
Chip Count |
Table |
Seat |
| 1 |
James Anderson |
3,256,000 |
27 |
8 |
| 2 |
Anselmo Villarreal |
1,643,000 |
28 |
3 |
| 3 |
Timothy Capretta |
1,374,000 |
29 |
6 |
| 4 |
Alex Foxen |
1,338,000 |
29 |
1 |
| 5 |
Kristen Bicknell |
1,317,000 |
27 |
5 |
| 6 |
Derek Gregory |
1,248,000 |
32 |
6 |
| 7 |
Timothy Miles |
1,154,000 |
28 |
6 |
| 8 |
Frank Marasco |
1,094,000 |
28 |
5 |
| 9 |
Jordan Cristos |
1,055,000 |
27 |
7 |
| 10 |
Seungmook Jung |
1,048,000 |
32 |
2 |
| 11 |
Anthony Grappo |
1,037,000 |
29 |
3 |
| 12 |
Raman Afanasenka |
906,000 |
29 |
2 |
| 13 |
Qing Liu |
892,000 |
32 |
1 |
| 14 |
Justin Lapka |
872,000 |
28 |
2 |
| 15 |
Stanley Lee |
812,000 |
29 |
8 |
| 16 |
Alexander Condon |
798,000 |
28 |
1 |
| 17 |
Scott Stewart |
770,000 |
27 |
6 |
| 18 |
Ankush Mandavia |
714,000 |
32 |
3 |
| 19 |
Brent Hart |
707,000 |
28 |
8 |
| 20 |
Karapet Galstyan |
663,000 |
29 |
7 |
| 21 |
Yosif Nawabi |
652,000 |
32 |
5 |
| 22 |
Asher Conniff |
552,000 |
28 |
7 |
| 23 |
Brandon Eisen |
552,000 |
27 |
3 |
| 24 |
Douglas Holland |
526,000 |
32 |
7 |
| 25 |
Harlen Miller |
500,000 |
27 |
1 |
| 26 |
Mehdi Saleh |
318,000 |
29 |
5 |
| 27 |
Robert Peacock |
183,000 |
32 |
8 |
Here is a look at the remaining payouts:
1st. $315,396
2nd. $198,045
3rd. $132,030
4th. $90,954
5th. $60,147
6th. $45,477
7th. $35,208
8th. $24,939
9th-10th. $22,005
11th-12th. $19,071
13th-14th. $16,137
15th-16th. $13,937
17th-24th. $11,589
25th-27th. $9,682
Player Tags: Kristen Foxen, Alex Foxen, James Anderson
Foxen Wins One Off TK Miles
Feb 21, '21
TK Miles raised to 35,000 from under the fun and Foxen called on his direct left. Tim Capretta called from the big blind and the flop came down K
3
2. Capretta checked. Miles checked and Foxen bet 42,000. Capretta folded and Miles called.
The turn brought the 4
and Miles checked again. Foxen bet 162,000. Miles thought it over and made the call.
The 3
paired the board on the river and Miles checked. Foxen fired 221,000 and Miles made the call. Foxen revealed the KQ for top pair and Miles mucked his cards, falling to 810,000 after the hand. Foxen chipped up to 1,620,000 after raking in the pot.
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen's Aces Send Joe Nguyen Home In 49th Place
Feb 21, '21
All of the chips went in on a 10779 board with Joe Nguyen holding 88 against the AA of Alex Foxen.
The river brought the A to give Foxen aces full of sevens, eliminating Nguyen in 49th place ($6,015).
Foxen’s stack grew to over 1.2 million after the hand.
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen Clicks It Back To Climb Up The Chip Counts
Feb 21, '21
The player in the cutoff raised and Alex Foxen three-bet out of the small blind. The cutoff called.
Foxen bet 35,000 on a flop of Q54 and the cutoff raised to 80,000. Foxen thought for just a few moments before three-betting to 130,000. The cutoff quickly folded and Foxen took the pot.
He has quietly amassed a well-above-average stack as the level comes to an end.
Alex Foxen – 665,000
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen Eliminated In Sixth Place ($45,477)
Feb 22, '21
Alex Foxen raised to 680,000 as the first to act preflop. Tim Capretta called from the hijack and the flop came down 1082.
Foxen moved all-in for around 550,000. Capretta quickly called with AJ. Foxen revealed the J8 for a pair of eights. The 10 on the turn kept Foxen ahead, but the A on the river secured the pot for Capretta. He chipped up to 4.1 million while Foxen was sent to the rail in sixth place ($45,477).
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen Doubles Through Kristen Bicknell
Feb 22, '21
Alex Foxen moved all in from the lojack for his last 950,000 and was called by Kristen Bicknell in the small blind.
Bicknell showed QQ and was in great shape against her boyfriend’s QJ.
The flop was A86, leaving Foxen drawing to runners. Foxen asked for the 10, but the dealer put the 3 on the turn, filling half of Foxen’s request with a flush draw. The K came on the river and Foxen doubled up for the second time this level with the nut flush.
Alex Foxen – 2,020,000
Kristen Bicknell – 1,700,000
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen Doubles Through Yosif Nawabi
Feb 22, '21
Yosif Nawabi raised to 160,000 and Alex Foxen called out of the big blind. The flop was Q93 and Foxen moved all in for about 250,000. Nawabi called.
Nawabi showed KQ and was in the lead against Foxen’s 63.
The turn was the 4, giving Foxen a flush draw to go with his bottom pair, and he nailed trips on the river as the 3 came, securing Foxen’s double up.
Alex Foxen – 850,000
Yosif Nawabi – 2,850,000
Player Tags: Alex Foxen
Alex Foxen And Kristen Bicknell Share A Venetian Final Table For A Second Time
Feb 22, '21
With seven players left, both halves of poker’s most prominent power couple still remain. Alex Foxen and Kristen Bicknell, who have a combined $22.3 million in live tournament earnings, are currently fourth and sixth in chips as players return from their dinner break.
This isn’t the first time that they’ve been at the same final table, however. And not even the first time they final-tabled an event at the Venetian together.
In 2018, they both made the final table of a $5,000 buy-in MSPT main event. They finished first and second for a combined $439,000 with Foxen officially taking home the title and Bicknell finishing runner-up.
Another top-two finish for the couple in this event would earn them $513,441.
Player Tags: Kristen Foxen, Alex Foxen
Brandon Eisen Eliminated By Alex Foxen
Feb 22, '21
Alex Foxen raised to 60,000 in the cutoff and Brandon Eisen moved all in for 250,000 on the button.
Foxen made the call with A-10, and was behind Eisen’s pocket tens. The turn brought an ace, however, and Eisen was eliminated in 15th place, earning $13,937.
Player Tags: Brandon Eisen, Alex Foxen
Raman Afanasenka Eliminated By Alex Foxen
Feb 22, '21
Alex Foxen raised to 52,000 and Raman Afanasenka moved all in behind him for his last 107,000. Foxen was obviously priced in, and was a little surprised to be ahead with his A2 against Afanasenka’s K7.
The board ran out AQ9KJ, and Afanasenka was eliminated.
Player Tags: Alex Foxen, Raman Afanasenka
We saw Alex Foxen gathering his belongings and headed to the exit and caught up with Johan Schumacher who was dragging the pot to fill us in on the details.
